1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to graphical user interfaces and more particularly, relates to a method and computer program for implementing interactive bargraphs capable of any shape or design on a graphical user interface.
2. Discussion of the Background
Devices having one or more graphical user interfaces (GUI) commonly represent data as graphical icons, also referred to as “widgets.” These widgets may be patterned after real-world physical objects including, but not limited to, dials, switches, buttons, and scales. For instance, a bar graph is a graph consisting of parallel, usually vertical bars or rectangles with lengths proportional to the frequency with which specified quantities occur in a set of data. A bar graph is commonly represented on a GUI as a bargraph widget. A GUI bargraph widget that may be manipulated by a user to interactively change the level and graphical representation associated therewith is commonly referred to as an interactive bargraph widget. However, the graphical form of an interactive bargraph widget is generally limited in its shape or design to straight lines aligned either horizontally or vertically. This is due to the fact that an interactive bargraph widget having a non-conventional shape or design, such as a radial or even more complex shape, requires complex calculations to determine the level and graphical representation associated with the bargraph widget when it is interactively manipulated by the user. Further, an interactive bargraph widget having a non-conventional shape or design must be custom programmed to handle that non-conventional shape. For instance, it would be highly difficult, if not impossible, for an interactive bargraph widget to handle the non-conventional shapes 20a-20f shown in FIG. 2. Thus, there does not exist an efficient implementation of an interactive bargraph widget that is capable of any shape or design.